Chapter 580

Whoosh-! Flutter-

The sweeping movement of the mantle immediately drew the gaze of the young champions.

As the youth materialized—a figure named Kyle, marked by ash-colored locks and eyes mirroring the shade of cinders—it felt as though the very passage of hours in the vicinity had frozen solid.

The sheer weight of Kyle’s aura was that breath-taking.

Thump-

“Ah.”

The moment Kyle advanced a single pace, the young champions inhaled sharply, as though the gears of existence had only just resumed their rotation.

‘What is this sensation? This suffocating pressure.’

Ehn, currently masking herself in Leo’s form using her distinctive sorcery, Mirror, found herself involuntarily swallowing hard against Kyle’s dominant energy, which seemed to master the environment by his mere existence.

As the chosen heir to the Dragon Lord, Melina, Ehn had crossed paths with numerous legendary figures.

‘No, trying to measure him against those legends is inherently disrespectful… and yet…’

Over the midyear break, she had conversed face-to-face with Arion.

She had likewise observed Luna closely during her recent stay in Lumern.

Both of those Grand Heroes similarly commanded an awe-inspiring majesty.

Yet, Kyle belonged to an entirely different realm.

Arion exuded a tranquil radiance that brought serenity to anyone in his proximity.

Luna, by contrast, radiated warmth.

She mingled and connected with those around her without a shred of pretension.

Because of this, simply perceiving Luna would evoke an instinctive beam of joy.

Even in the heat of conflict, their fundamental dispositions remained unchanged.

But Kyle was an entirely different entity.

He was completely and utterly forbidden.

He resembled a bare blade pulled fresh from its sheath.

‘A simple shift in outward form couldn’t possibly alter the air this drastically. Lord Leo has merely been concealing his true nature until this moment.’

Ehn squeezed her hands into tight knots.

Thump- Thump-

In that exact instant, Kyle halted directly ahead of Ehn.

“Keep your composure.”

“Ah…”

Ehn steadied her racing thoughts, focusing on Kyle, who whispered in a register meant solely for her ears.

“Lift your gaze and confront your adversary head-on. Are you not the future Dragon Lord?”

A sharp intensity flared within Kyle’s slate-gray eyes.

“What use will you be if you paralyze under an impression of this caliber?”

“Yes, u-understood!”

Jolted by the reprimand, Ehn corrected her posture, straightening her spine completely.

A faint grin touched Kyle’s lips upon observing Ehn, and he continued past her.

‘…So that is his nature.’

Arion guided humanity through boundless valor.

The founder of the Nebula constantly uplifted spirits with an unshakeable demeanor.

‘Lord Kyle… he commands people forward.’

Kyle’s magnetic authority drags people along, uncompromising and unyielding.

That razor-sharp intensity is never aimed at his allies.

It is locked onto the foe.

This realization fostered profound confidence.

Ehn discerned that this was Kyle’s method of anchoring faith in others, and she inhaled deeply.

“Are you truly the Hero of Beginnings?”

Hark inquired, an expression of deep bewilderment coloring his features.

“It has to be Lord Kyle! In Seirun last year, he arrived alongside Lord Seirun to rescue us!”

Lily exclaimed, her words dripping with fervor.

Right at that second.

“Prospective heroes! If you stand prepared, come forward immediately and lend us your strength!”

The Mage Hero, who had been desperately countering the devastating blazes of Erebus, materialized while balanced atop his magical staff.

“We are losing ground by the second! At this very hour, your assistance is absolutely critical!”

The sorcerer bellowed in sheer desperation.

“Come now, whether he is truly Lord Kyle or an imitation, does it alter our situation? The priority right now is neutralizing that threat.”

Stepping into the fray, Elena spoke up to restore composure to the gathered crowd.

Prompted by her declaration, the young champions who had been transfixed by Kyle’s arrival snapped out of their daze.

“Kyle? What ridiculous claim are you… Gah?!”

The Mage Hero, whose face had been twisted in perplexity, caught sight of Kyle and let out a terrified screech before tumbling completely off his staff.

Thud-!

“The Hero of Beginnings, Kyle?”

Elena offered a subtle smirk, glancing at the dumbfounded Mage Hero whose jaw remained slack, before closing the distance behind Kyle.

“Come along, Hero of Beginnings. Pray extend your assistance without delay.”

Elena flashed a radiant beam and gave his back a firm nudge.

Beholding that interaction, murmurs of sheer amazement rippled through the spectators.

“Truly classic Elena. Just standing near him makes it hard to draw breath.”

“Is it a matter of spiritual caliber?”

While the onlookers remained lost in admiration.

“I shall engage when I am prepared, so cease your shoving, child.”

Rebuffed by Kyle’s retort, Elena froze momentarily, then instantly materialized directly in front of Leo.

Her gaze narrowed significantly.

“That particular choice of words and attitude brings to mind a thoroughly disrespectful and annoying junior of mine. Furthermore, it appears we have an impostor mimicking that very junior at this moment, do we not?”

A low chuckle escaped Kyle at her observation.

Elena’s eyes sharpened even further at his reaction.

“I suspected something was amiss. Adopting such a patronizing tone with me, your senior and older sister.”

Leo had been an anomaly from the very inception.

An advancement velocity that defied the standard definitions of development.

Compounded by a profound, seasoned wisdom that defied calculation.

The puzzle pieces aligned perfectly if his true identity was ‘Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings.’

Elena, who had harbored vague suspicions upon witnessing Ehn’s assumed form, achieved absolute certainty that Kyle and Leo were one and the same the moment Kyle manifested.

Just then.

Groooaaah-!

“W-what is happening? All of a sudden?! Argh?!”

“All units retreat!”

“The frontline fighters are being consumed by the inferno! Where are the healers?!”

The defending forces began taking devastating casualties as Erebus, abruptly unleashing far more devastating torrents of fire, redoubled its onslaught.

Observing the carnage, Kyle clicked his tongue in irritation.

“The entity has recognized our presence.”

“My word.”

Sensing the impending peril, Elena attempted a swift retreat toward the rear lines.

In that fleeting instant.

Clutch-

“Eh?”

Kyle clamped his hand around Elena’s wrist, yanking her directly against his chest.

Caught entirely off guard within Kyle’s embrace, Elena’s eyes went wide.

Kyle tightened his hold significantly, throwing his expansive mantle completely over her.

Flutter-!

Flash-! Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-gang-!

Without warning, the fabric of reality tore open, and a cataclysmic torrent of fire completely swallowed Kyle.

Whoosh-!

Had Elena proceeded with her retreat as planned, she would have sustained a direct impact from the blast.

‘Had I been out there, my life would have ended.’

A shiver ran down Elena’s spine as horror washed over her.

Yet, she managed to master her panic swiftly.

Kyle maintained an incredibly firm grip on Elena, holding her so tightly against him that respiration became a challenge.

Whoosh-!

Dispersing the surrounding embers, Kyle executed a sharp sweep of his arm.

Whoosh-!

A brilliant scarlet blade materialized in Kyle’s grasp.

The weapon, channeled through the essence of the Phoenix, Fiora, forced back the apocalyptic tides of fire.

“Inform the rest of the forces. The vanguard position belongs to me alone.”

“Leo, by yourself?”

“Precisely. The lot of you, being nothing more than greenhorns, will merely serve as liabilities if you recklessly interject yourselves right now. This entity is far beyond the capabilities of anyone unfamiliar with Erebus.”

“Within our ranks of prospective heroes, myself included, there are students whose capabilities rival recognized heroes. I refuse to believe we would hinder Leo. Surely, we can provide valuable support, can we not?”

Rebelling against his dismissal, Elena offered a counterargument in a slightly offended tone.

Releasing his hold on Elena, Kyle looked at her directly.

“Whatever gave you that impression?”

“What?”

“The greenhorns I mentioned include those individuals as well.”

Kyle gestured toward the active heroes who were currently retreating from Erebus.

Elena’s mouth fell open in sheer disbelief.

Even considering his status, classifying seasoned warriors who had earned legendary accolades as mere amateurs was profoundly arrogant.

“Provide reinforcement from the rear guard. Do you understand? Elena.”

“Pardon? Y-yes, sir!”

Answering instinctively with military precision, Elena quickly clapped a hand over her mouth in shock.

“Excellent.”

Treating her precisely like an obedient child listening to an elder, Kyle began his stride toward Erebus.

Staring at his departing form, Elena whispered in a stunned daze,

“It makes perfect sense… why even Lady Luna lost her heart to him.”

Whoosh-!

Dark conflagrations raged violently in every direction.

Disregarding the heat completely, Kyle advanced steadily toward Erebus.

These obsidian flames were a ruinous force capable of inflicting mortal trauma upon the slightest contact.

Yet, mere embers of such power posed no real threat to Kyle.

He commanded the unadulterated mana property, which functioned as the absolute antithesis to Erebus.

Furthermore, during his triumph over Dweino’s domain, he had claimed Dweino’s specific embers—the very element that had protected the Grand Heroes against the wrath of Erebus.

Whoosh-!

Brilliant golden pyres erupted across Kyle’s frame.

‘That strike just now.’

Kyle narrowed his vision, analyzing the behavior of Erebus’s flames.

Moments earlier, the void had fractured without warning, discharging an avalanche of dark fire.

There had been absolutely no telegraphing of the move.

Under normal circumstances, any contemporary hero would have perished from that strike.

This failure wouldn’t stem from a lack of competence among the current era’s champions.

‘It is simply because the heroes of this period possess zero intelligence regarding Erebus.’

Erebus was far more than an abomination capable of discharging eternal, destructive fire.

It was a celestial titan harboring the arcana of myriad domains and countless mystical authorities.

That was the reality of Erebus.

Throughout the Era of Calamity.

It was undeniably the Grand Heroes who ultimately brought down Erebus.

Yet behind their triumph lay an ocean of lesser heroes who traded their lives to map out the strategy against the beast.

The downfall of Erebus was paved entirely with the sacrifices of fallen champions.

Regardless of a warrior’s individual might, they stood helpless when confronting an unmapped cosmic authority.

‘That specific assault undoubtedly warped the spatial coordinates.’

It defied classification as mere sorcery.

It was quite literally a manifestation of divine intervention brought forth by a deity.

‘…An authority capable of manipulating space… does this point to the cranial section?’

Kyle immediately deciphered the true nature of the remnant trapped within the Hero of Creation.

It was entirely evident that the piece corresponding to the head, out of the six severed portions of Erebus, had been entombed within the domain of Creation.

‘The complication lies in the fact that a mere remnant of Erebus, which ought to function as a mindless reservoir of energy, exercised its authority. Furthermore…’

Whoosh-!

The foul stench of a decomposing cosmos assaulted Kyle’s senses.

An odor recognizable only to those who had engaged in mortal combat against Erebus.

‘The scent of incineration is far more pungent than in past encounters.’

Kyle’s expression hardened.

He had neutralized countless avatars, psychic remnants, and shards of Erebus up to this point.

Yet this particular blaze was the very first to project such an overwhelming odor of corruption.

‘Does this imply its potency exceeds the alternative shards? For what reason?’

The instant Kyle focused his senses.

Groooaaah-!

Ruinous blazes erupted directly toward Kyle.

Despite functioning as an unguided mass of energy, the destructive fire manifested clear malice toward Leo.

The entity recognized him.

It remembered that the soul standing before it was the very conqueror who had previously brought about its subjugation.

Observing this reaction, Kyle permitted a sharp grin to touch his features.

“We find ourselves in perfect agreement.”

Flash-!

A radiant golden light exploded from the blade gripped in his left hand.

Witnessing the display, the beastman warrior’s eyes bulged in shock.

“A golden aura?! Is that Lord Arion’s signature energy?!”

Swoosh-!

Kyle’s strike clove cleanly through the entirety of Erebus’s advancing fire.

Whoosh-!

In that exact breath, dark flames materialized directly in Kyle’s path.

Reacting instantly, Kyle extended his right palm, summoning forth a sorcerer’s staff.

Kyle, who had been maintaining an incantation since the moment he swung his blade, discharged his magical payload.

“Annihilation.”

Flash-! Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga-gang!

A cataclysmic torrent of astral energy utterly erased the oncoming flames of Erebus.

The spectators watching this display of raw power trembled uniformly.

“Could that truly be… the All-Class Master, the Hero of Beginnings, Kyle…?”

“…He represents an entirely maximized manifestation of Leo, doesn’t he?”

The crowd tracked Kyle’s advancing silhouette with expressions of utter disbelief.

Crackling-! Pop-!

Right then, fractures rippled across the blade in Kyle’s hand, while the focusing gem atop his staff shattered into fragments.

Both the blade and the staff represented premium armaments forged by Driana.

Under ordinary conditions, he could have preserved their integrity, but the urgency of the moment demanded a complete absence of restraint.

Whoosh!

Observing the ruinous fires mounting another assault, Kyle plunged his hand back into his spatial vault.

Hum- Hum-!

Instantly, specific armaments resting within the pocket dimension signaled their readiness.

Kyle hesitated briefly at the sensation.

“I have no desire to overtax historical relics.”

Woo-oong-!

Despite Kyle’s bittersweet remark, the harmonic vibrations persisted stubbornly.

Clack-!

Kyle withdrew a massive greatsword sporting a heavily notched edge from his storage.

On superficial inspection, the massive blade appeared on the verge of fracturing entirely.

At the manifestation of a weapon whose structural integrity seemed completely compromised, Marigold, the student council leader of Demian who was organizing rear-line reinforcements, gasped in recognition.

“Is that Lord Dweino’s sacred relic preserved within Demian?”

In that precise moment—

Whoosh-!

Blazing golden pyres enveloped the massive blade.

Woo-oong-!

The alabaster weapon radiated a blinding brilliance.

A greatsword crafted with such elegance it mirrored a masterwork of artistry.

Yet it possessed no title.

Dweino had always maintained:

A weapon is fundamentally a tool.

Yet this anonymous sacred relic understood with absolute clarity the sentiment its crafter harbored during its creation.

Its architect had perished millennia ago.

Society viewed the blade as nothing more than a magnificent artifact of a bygone era.

Yet the weapon was reverting to its zenith, consuming the final remnants of its essence to execute its purpose.

“He never granted names to your kind, did he.”

Kyle adjusted his grip upon the handle.

“And yet, he held a memory of every single tool he ever brought into existence.”

Whenever a creation shattered, he would indulge in spirits and mourn its loss with genuine sorrow.

Hum-! Hum-!

The nameless weapon vibrated with even greater intensity.

“He has departed from this world, but find peace.”

Kyle lowered his center of gravity.

“I shall carry the memory of your final hour.”

Smash-!

Kyle launched himself directly at Erebus.

‘Maintain your resolve just a fraction longer.’

Visualizing the individuals confined within the realm of heroes, Kyle reinforced his grip.

‘I shall secure your freedom shortly!’

“Kyaaaah! Student Council President! Your excellence is unmatched!”

“Disregard that peasant girl! Join our company instead! Come along?!”

“…”

Karl offered a weary, breathless chuckle and cast his gaze toward the heavens.

From the rear, Eliza’s intensely hostile glare remained locked onto him, silently projecting the thought, ‘What do you think you are doing, you miserable commoner!’

‘Would someone… anyone.’

Karl felt a sharp pang of misery.

‘Deliver me from this.’